Design strategies for agritourism in Hawaiʻi: An approach for small farmers

Abstract

Tourism remains the largest source of private investment in Hawaiʻi’s economy, with visitor spending reaching $17.75 billion in 2019. However, its reliance on resort-based and urbanized development has contributed to environmental degradation, the displacement of farmland, and the erosion of Native Hawaiian cultural heritage. According to the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT Resident Sentiment Spring 2022), many residents view tourism as environmentally harmful and misaligned with Native values. Resorts and hotels occupy significant land and water resources, further contributing to Hawaiʻi’s dependence on imported food, with over 85% of consumed goods sourced from outside the islands.Over the past three decades, Hawaiʻi’s agricultural economy has faced significant decline, with increased food imports and a tenuous local food production base. Leaving small farms with limited land, labor, and financial capacity. While agritourism has emerged as a potential strategy to diversify farm income and reconnect agriculture with the public. Existing approaches often lack clear design frameworks to guide implementation, especially for small-scale operations.This thesis explores how an agritourism model can support Hawaiʻi’s farms- bridging agriculture and tourism while restoring ecological balance and food sovereignty. It proposes a phased and design-based framework that enables small farms to integrate tourism while maintaining agricultural productivity and cultural integrity. The research challenges the dominance of a tourism-centric landscape that prioritizes transient visitors’ needs over long-term agricultural and cultural resilience. Central to this work is the concept of farm-integrated tourism, where spatial design supports hands-on activities, fostering deeper connections to the land and supporting local food systems.Through literature review, case studies, and design prototypes, this thesis develops a set of architectural strategies that guide small farms in using physical space to educate visitors. The goal is to provide practical design tools that support incremental growth while aligning tourism with ongoing agricultural farms. This research is intended to serve small farmers as primary users. Offering adaptable strategies that respond to their limited resources and evolving capacities. This work reimagines Hawaiʻi’s built environment to demonstrate that tourism and agriculture need not compete but can instead coexist symbiotically.